The Sydney Eye Drop Project

With thanks to community support, patients at Sydney Eye Hospital are receiving vital education about their prescribed eye drop therapies. It’s all about collaborative care, with patients gaining greater understanding about the importance of correctly administering medicines at home.

The case for funding

Medications for eye conditions mostly come in the form of eye drops. In order for the treatment to be successful, the drops must reach the patient’s eyes at the dosage and time prescribed.

Despite the development of effective modern therapies, a major challenge still remains; patients aren’t always compliant or consistent with administering their eye drops at home.

This is not a dilemma unique to patients of Sydney Eye Hospital. An international research study estimated that between 23% - 60% of glaucoma patients are reported to be non-compliant.

The reasons behind these stats are multifaceted and include low health literacy, a lack of understanding of drug regimens or not fully comprehending just how important the treatment is. Naturally, these issues are compounded for vulnerable people in the community.

Taking therapies exactly as the prescribing practitioner recommends decreases the chance of complications arising and gives the greatest chance of overall improvement and quality of life.

Donor impact

The Sydney Eye Drop Project includes three core initiatives to ensure patience receive the very best of eye care.

  1. The Sydney Eye Drop Chart. A simple visual aid for every patient on discharge or at the end of a consultation. They will have their treatment program mapped out with bold graphics to make clear the dosage and frequency of each medication prescribed.
  2. The Sydney Eye Drop App. A vision-friendly application developed in multiple languages for smart devices including user-friendly aids to promote patient adherence to their ophthalmic eye medication therapy. Functionality will include, how-to graphics and videos, calendars and alarms.
  3. The Sydney Eye Drop Campaign. An official launch and promotion of both the Chart and App initiatives will drive awareness in the community through a hospital-wide campaign engaging all staff.

“Based on feedback from our generous donors, programs that build on improving patient outcomes are a priority. That’s why funding the Sydney EyeDrop Program was a no-brainer. The answer to excellence in patient care is collaborative. Patients have the benefit of receiving state-of-the-art treatment while at Sydney Eye Hospital, but when they go home, treatment is in their hands. This program ensures they have the tools they need.” – Linda Fagan, Chief Executive Officer, Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation

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